Monday, September 8, 2008

Fighting Resumes in Timbogo

Well it has been nearly a year since fighting was last reported in the almost unknown Central African Republic of Timbogo. Not that the violence hasn’t been ongoing or that Timbogo’s fate has been anything short of a catastrophe... It’s just been a year since there was a slow enough news day for the world news to bother paying attention to this festering backwater hell hole.

SITUATION

Forces of the Peoples Revolutionary Army of Timbogo (PRAT) have been making increasingly large raids out of their enclave in the southwest corner of the country. Lately they have hit a number of French owned oil facilities.

A joint operation to neutralize these violent insurgents is being mounted, involving forces of the Federal Army of the Republic of Timbogo (FART) and the 6ieme Regiment du Marche Legion Etranger - which was recently deployed to Timbogo to protect French interests.

SCENARIO

This is similar to a search and destroy mission. FART is attacking into a PRAT enclave.

PRAT will deploy all of it’s hidden unit markers (8 total) in it’s deployment zone in the middle of the table. FART will then decide which table edge it wishes to attack from.

The game will last 10 turns. Forces will gain victory points for the following
+1 for each Cache held at the end of the game
+1 for causing 25% casualties
+2 for breaking the opponent
Whoever has the most point wins; if the winner won by three or more points it is a major victory!

FORCES

Federal Army of the Republic of Timbogo (FART)
Regular Tactical Doctrine

Gary stopped by to play tonight. I had hoped someone else would as things would have been more of a surprise for whoever played the FART forces. Well, I guess it would have been a surprise for Gary if he’d played them… but he didn’t. I gave him the choice, and he chose to be the defenders.

TURN ONE – FART

The Legionaires charged on to the table true to form with a move, another move and then a double move (command bonus). Things pretty much went downhill from there…. As the operation kicked off the Lions of Timshasa were nowhere to be seen and the recce elements were lost in the rear somewhere. The first company of FART regulars made a bold (by African regulars standards) move onto the table – making two quick dashes for cover. The Second (mounted) company roared onto the table – full throttle – triggering an ambush! Both sections of transprt trucks were hit, bailing and suppressing the occupants, and on section of technicals were taken out by RPG fire…

TURN ONE – PRAT

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)

The ambushing guerillas contined to fire on the second (mounted) company, suppressing the HMG section and scoring hits on some infantry and the remaining technicals.

TURN TWO –FART

The Foreign Legionnaires held their position and successfully revealed a fake hidden marker to their left. Then moved into the bush to their front revealing another.

The first company of regulars began to move up towards the firing a little more cautiously and dropped a few mortar bombs on the bush occupied by the guerillas.

The unsuppressed infantry in the second (mounted) company fired on and suppressed the guerilla team with the RPG.

The Lions of Timshasa made their fashionably late appearance – sauntering slowly onto the table taking in the scene and making plans… (they moved once…)

Recce still nowhere to be seen…

TURN TWO – PRAT

The guerillas continued to lay down some whithering fire on the second (mounted) company. The HMG section fellback into the cover of some nearby bush (thankfully, as they had taken four hits). Others in the unit were not so lucky. One section was suppressed, then forced to fallbck – into the company’s HQ, suppressing it – further fire caused them to fall back again (into a suppressed unit) knocking out BOTH!? (Gary had given them four, consecutive successful orders… why is it only Gary that ever does this…?)

TURN THREE – FART

The Foreign Legionnaires continued their sweep west of the town overrunning another fake hidden marker.

There was apparently confusion in the ranks of the locals as no actions were taken by any FART troops this turn… (many, many failed command rolls…)

TURN THREE- PRAT

The Guerillas had another long round of successful orders being issued. Firing five times in a row they took out the three remaining infantry stands from the second (mounted) company, and two from the first company…!?

TURN FOUR – FART
The Legionaires continued to consolidate their positions in the bush west of town having successfully cleared the area and wondered where the FART troops had gotten to…?

The Lions of Timshasa moved, but only enough to disperses their formation a touch and move ever so slightly towards some cover…

The Recce troops finally showed up in their Greyhounds and rolled up behind the shattered remains of the second (mounted) company and… uh… recced the disasterous scene…

The CO, after personally marching over to the mortars positions and shooting the sections commander and screaming at the second in command (a 16 year old boy named Ngombi) finally got them to fire a few more bombs at the guerillas in the woods… with little effect.

TURN FOUR – PRAT

Lacking eligible targets the Guerillas were only able to fire at, suppress and force back a single section of FART Regulars… they could do no further as the suppressed section fallback completely out of range!?

TURN FIVE – FART

The Foreign Legionaries decided they could wait no longer and sent half their company in to assault the town while the other half waited to cover them. About half way across the open field the guerillas in the village opened fire, suppressing one stand. The Legionnaires fired back suppressing some guerillas in the village.

The lions began to make a stealthy maneuver towards some cover…

None of the regulars were able to act.

The CO got up ready to charge forward and throw his troops at the enemy (literally picking them up one at a time, and physically THROWING them!?) but started taking fire from the direction of the mortar section (which Ngombi SWEARS was from some PRAT guerillas that had infiltrated their rear…) (command blunder – CEASE FIRE! -1 CV next turn…)

TURN FIVE – PRAT

Fire from the village kept the legionnaires in the open quite suppressed.

Hummm-de-dumm….

YAAAAWWWWWWNNNNN!!!

Ah… where was I?

Oh… Yeah, so nothing really happened over the next two or three turns… The FART troops LITERALLY did NOTHING failing a staggering number of consecutive command rolls, while the French Foreign Legionnaires exchanged fire with the Guerillas in the village. Being in the open though the legionnaires had a tough time of it. I think two of the stands were eventually forced to fall back far enough that they dispersed, while the third fell back out of range, almost to cover!

The scene at as the action wound down. The French and the FART forces would later withdraw under cover of darkness to regroup and try again another day. Maybe with some air support!!

I thought it was all pretty funny though, and not an entirely unrealistic outcome: Chaos and confusion among the unprofessional (probably largely conscript) government forces facing a determined force of enemy guerillas.

I probably should have given the FART forces a couple of scheduled air strikes to pummel the village... or whatever...

You know, Chris, YOU could have played the PRAT forces... Of course if Gary were then playing the FART forces, HE'd have had the french in the village by turn four and utterly wiped out all opposition to the rightful Government of Timbogo...

Hope you enjoyed your ruck march... what the hell is THAT all about? Are they working you up to ship out to Afghanistan? They need more bin-rats in Kandahar? (sorry... "fighting" bin-rats)

Hmm... "Gary" dice? Even a chimpanzee can roll two dice low (or high) five times in a row! Heh,heh. Good run of luck for me on dice and bad luck for Tim on dice.

Tim and I have discussed this before. Nothing new. There are only two dice used in the command initiative phase and many, many dice used in the conflict resolution phase. For me I'd rather see the factors for game outcome a little more dependant on the movement and conflict resolution phase and slightly less dependant on command initiative luck. In the conflict resolution phase single dice roll luck is buffered by more dice thrown. But hey... take it as it comes! Next week I may roll five times high and get squashed. C'est la Guerre. - Gary